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School board discusses safety concerns, rezoning, future bond package

Cedar Creek Elementary School parents Tera Ferguson (from left), Diana Dolan, Christi Dammert, Bridget Mansell, Kim Taylor, Caleb Noel and Mark Demmert take time out after a Feb. 27 Eanes school board meeting in which they urged board members to consider rezoning to relieve overcrowding at the school. SUZANNE MAJORS DAVIS FOR WESTLAKE PICAYUNE

The Eanes school board discussed a variety of key issues at its Feb. 27 meeting, including safety, rezoning and a bond proposal.

In light of a recent threat that caused concerns at Hill Country Middle School that was found without merit, Superintendent Tom Leonard spoke about how the district informs parents about safety issues.

“We don’t necessarily… think it’s wise to always respond to emails in writing on things we’re doing for security,” Leonard said, noting the district recently held some parental meetings on what the district does in lockdowns and discussed future drills to ensure preparedness.

“We do give the community some communication on information they need, based on the questions we get asked,” Leonard said, adding that the district follows the recommendations of local law enforcement and the FBI to maintain safety at all schools.

Speaking of the possibility of a student walk-out over security, Leonard said, “We will work with our students to make sure that if they decide to do a walk-out, it is safe, and we’ll respect their rights and opinions. It’s a terrible thing we’re going through in this country … and I do acknowledge there are always places where we could get better. Some of it is how much money we are able to spend. How much staff do we want to devote to this … how much security do we want?”

Leonard security both within schools and the thought process requires a lot of thought and discussion.

“It’s almost like when a terrorist event happens … we want to protect our kids, and we want to be safe, but at the same time, we do need to understand that we don’t want our schools to become vaults or prisons, or look like that,” Leonard explained. “We still go to concerts, we still go to church, and we need to still go to school.”

Redistricting on horizon

Leonard suggested that the board take a close look in the upcoming year at both redistricting and a possible future bond proposal.

He then offered an outline about what steps should be considered for both. Board members favored moving up rezoning sooner than originally anticipated, perhaps in the fall of 2019.

In order to accomplish that, board members acknowledged the need to gather input from the community, then present a recommendation to the board by this fall.

Leonard cautioned against a quick fix to overcrowding in some schools, and said it is better to rezone the district as a whole. In recent meetings, Cedar Creek Elementary School parents have been asking that their school be given relief from overcrowding due to the availability of new housing developments in their attendance zone.

Before considering a bond, a facilities and enrollment committee with the help of the administration staff and school board will review: facility maintenance and life spans of equipment and structures, transportation, technology infrastructure, energy efficiency, lighting, technological devices, flexible furniture, changes in the district’s “footprint,” portable classrooms, plans for a pool, a dance studio, etc.

“We have a history in the district of having a bond every three to four years. If nothing changes in the Texas finance system, I don’t see that going away in the near future, because bond dollars stay 100 percent in the district and are not subject to recapture,” Leonard said.

“I worry that the timeframe is too short,” board member Jennifer Salas said, pointing out that she feels rezoning should occur ahead of bond consideration “unless the bond discussion leads to a change in the footprint.”

Most trustees agreed rezoning should probably occur first.

“It’s really hard to discuss both of those simultaneously, if we could survive another year without a bond,” said Colleen Jones, board president.

Board member John Havenstrite agreed.

“I think the urgency of redistricting (sic) is greater than the urgency of a bond,” Havenstrite said.

A delegation of Cedar Creek elementary parents spoke during the open-forum segment of the meeting about the school’s significant overcrowding issues.

“The potential of kids coming in from The Walsh (Town Home development) is greater than we thought,” said Cedar Creek parent Caleb Noel.

He also pointed out that there home selling in his area is brisk, and older owners are selling to people with young children and replacing larger homes on small lots.

“I urge you all not to delay [rezoning],” said Diana Dolan, another Cedar Creek parent. “I enthusiastically support moving up the time line.”